The Saintess in the Birdcage Knew Love, and Then She Fell Into Madness - Chapter 03: The Unrecognized Saintess

Chapter 03: The Unrecognized Saintess

What exactly is a Saintess? That question was answered by the girl who introduced herself as Aria.

“It’s not surprising that you, or anyone in this world, doesn’t know of my existence. Originally, it was meant to be that way.”

“That way?”

“Yes, because no one is capable of recognizing me.”

Saying this, Aria-san puffed out her chest proudly.

I momentarily averted my gaze from her noticeably large, swaying melons and tried to calmly digest her words.

“……Hmm?”

“Oh, you look completely confused.”

Of course, I am, I thought, nodding. 

It’s one thing to not understand the concept of a saintess, and another to grasp why everyone in the world is unaware of Aria-san’s existence. But the idea that no one can recognize her is even more baffling.

“To be specific, I live my life completely unrecognized by anyone, from birth until death. You know of the barrier that continues to protect this kingdom, right? I sustain it with an almost infinite amount of magical power. That’s the reason I was born into this world, and that is what it means to be a saintess.”

“…Ah.”

I felt like I had just heard something incredibly significant. Not only was it a major revelation, but it also felt like an overwhelmingly heavy truth.

I’m not particularly bright. Yet, when I pondered her words, the answer became clear.

“That means… um, Aria-san is—”

“Ah…”

“Is something wrong?”

“It’s just… It’s the first time someone has called me by my name, so I was a bit taken aback.”

I didn’t know how to react in such a situation.

“Was it okay to call you by your name?”

“Of course. Please continue to call me Aria. And may I call you Laurent-kun?”

“That’s perfectly fine!”

At least the awkwardness was momentarily reset with the discussion about names.

I wasn’t sure if Aria-san was trying to be considerate, but I silently thanked her in my heart before continuing the conversation.

“Aria-san, are you an existence who, from birth to death, remains unrecognized by anyone, and just continues to pour magical power into what we call the magical shield, for the sake of protecting this country? Is that what being a Saintess means?”

“You understood that well with just one explanation. Laurent-kun, are you perhaps smarter than you let on?”

“No, I just organized it in my head… I’m considered pretty useless by my siblings.”

What am I doing! 

This isn’t the kind of thing you say to someone you’ve just met. But, putting aside my own foolishness, if my understanding is correct, isn’t that an incredibly cruel fate?

“Are you human, Aria-san?”

“I believe I am human, in terms of my own perception. My body, except for the immense magical power it possesses, is no different from a human’s. However… I don’t know how I came to be. For me, it was enough to have a mission solely dedicated to serving this country.”

“…”

“Indeed, I was initially surprised, but I had knowledge in my mind about what it means to be human, what this world is like, and how people live their lives. My existence is unknown to anyone, and I cannot leave this place. As long as I understand that my sole purpose is to fulfill my mission within these confines, everything is fine.”

How can she say such things with that expression? It’s unbelievable.

I don’t fully understand everything yet, but Aria-san is definitely not ordinary… She might be human, but she’s not a normal human.

But… unknown to everyone, and unable to leave this place?

Indeed, this room is overly luxurious and spacious… but to spend one’s entire life within these walls? Isn’t that like hell?

“Oh, you look quite down. Have I inadvertently said something terrible?”

Aria-san looked troubled and moved closer to me.

We were already quite close, but as she came even nearer, I instinctively stepped back.

I’ve lived for eighteen years without any experience with women. Coming from a noble family, I’ve never had a fiancée. It’s unlikely any girl would want to be associated with a man with such a bad reputation.

“…Ahem!”

Brushing aside those sad thoughts, I decided to ask her something.

“Aria-san, you haven’t said anything terrible… The things you just told me, they’re not lies, right?”

“They are not lies. Everything I said is true.”

“…Then, isn’t it painful for you?”

“Painful…? You mean, sad? I never even considered that. Didn’t I say it before? My existence is solely to fulfill my mission here—that’s what I am.”

…I think I would go insane in her place.

But as I thought before, Aria-san’s perspective is unique due to her extraordinary origin. Remaining here forever, living only for her mission, and being isolated from everyone…

“…It’s somewhat unpleasant.”

“Eh?”

“Ah, sorry. Perhaps ‘unpleasant’ isn’t the right word… It’s a new feeling for me, one that I can’t quite understand, but I dislike seeing you look so pained.”

“I’m sorry for that…”

“Why apologize…? But now I understand. From the perspective of humans like you, my circumstances must seem painful.”

I guess anyone would react like I did.

But… talking to her, I feel like I’m missing something fundamental.

As if confirming my thoughts, Aria-san suddenly exclaimed, 

“I am now, for the first time, interacting with someone other than myself… It’s so novel and important that I forgot to ask. Laurent-kun, how did you manage to get in here?”

Ah, that’s it! That’s what I wanted to ask!

“As I said earlier, I am never recognized. This has been the case since I was born, and it’s ingrained in my knowledge. So this encounter shouldn’t be possible… Laurent-kun, why is that?”

“I… I don’t know either.”

Why was I able to enter here?

I asked more questions, but no matter what, Aria-san couldn’t leave this place, and no one else could recognize the existence of this room. As proof, even when I opened the door, Aria-san couldn’t approach it… and Luke, who might have been searching for me, passed by without recognizing my presence beyond the door.

“There’s so much we don’t understand…”

“Um… even though we can see the outside from here, you don’t feel like leaving?”

“I can’t. I have to be here.”

“It’s my mission,” Aria-san said with a smile.

Honestly, there’s still so much I don’t understand… But then, seeing Aria-san smile like that, I couldn’t help but make this suggestion.

“Um! Would it be okay if I come to visit you here again?”

I’m not sure if it was out of pity for her, or if there was another reason behind it.

Aria-san’s eyes widened at my words, but then she smiled and nodded.

“Of course! You’re welcome to come anytime!”

And so, I became acquainted with a girl unknown to everyone else.